1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to furniture slipcovers.
2. Description of Background Art
The replacement of furniture upholstery for the purpose of either replacing soiled fabric or change of decor is often desired. Pre-fabricated slipcovers represent a relatively inexpensive alternative to the custom re-upholstery of furniture or to the construction of custom slipcovers that are uniquely designed for one particular piece of furniture. Previous pre-fabricated slipcover designs, while inexpensive, have been characterized by a variety of significant shortcomings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,380 describes a one-piece slipcover, supplemented by optional, interchangeable trim components, intended for lightweight folding or non-folding chairs. The material used is a non-stretch fabric and methods for securing the cover to the chair, including ties, straps, pockets to engage the seat pan, etc. The cover is designed to give a loose, draped appearance and does not in any way simulate a custom fitted design. An additional problem is that while the fabric may be anchored at several fixed locations on the chair, the overall loose fit allows the fabric to become disheveled when the occupant of the chair shifts position. This shifting can cause distortion and mis-registry of the fabric pattern on the chair.
Various designs of one-piece covers have been disclosed for sofas and chairs for which there is no intervening space between the back and seat surfaces. Such designs claim the ability to provide a somewhat more fitted appearance than the draped type of slipcover. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,355 describes a cover that provides a xe2x80x9cfittedxe2x80x9d look by incorporating a plurality of elastic bands stitched into particular locations around the periphery of the cover. These bands provide an inwardly directed force pulling the fabric close to the underlying furniture when the cover is in place. The fabric itself is not extensible, and additional elastic bands are stitched into the cover at desired locations to cause the excess fabric to form xe2x80x9cgathersxe2x80x9d or folds. Thus the xe2x80x9cfittedxe2x80x9d look is achieved by attempting to artfully arrange the excess fabric that does not closely conform to the underlying furniture. The non-extensible nature of the fabric and the resulting loose folds still present the problem of significant portions of the fabric being able to slide across the back or seat surfaces when the occupant moves. U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,685 provides a design that offers similar attributes, but attempts to provide a somewhat improved fit and anchoring system by utilizing pairs of binding elements, such as cords, rope, ribbon, or straps at the corners of the furniture to further secure the slipcover. This design, however, also relies on the excess fabric being tucked into crevices (e.g. between the back and seat and between the arms and seat). Thus, the fabric is not completely secure.
Other means for dealing with excess amounts of non-extensible fabric in these pre-fabricated, non-custom slipcovers have been reported. U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,723 discloses elongated, V-shaped members that expand when wedged into crevices thereby stabilizing the position of the slipcover on the furniture. U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,407 employs telescopically compressible channels of material, aligned with the seams of a slipcover, with cinching cords running through the channels.
None of the above mentioned designs achieves the fitted look characterizing re-upholstered furniture or custom slipcover designs. They all exhibit the problems of imperfectly secured covers and, to varying extents, suffer from relatively complex constructions and difficult installation.
Extensible fabrics offer the potential for addressing some of the shortcomings exhibited by slipcover designs of the type thus far described. Great Britain Patent 1,300,582 has disclosed one-piece xe2x80x9cloose coversxe2x80x9d designed for use on armchairs or sofas, wherein the cover is made from elastic fabric, such as fabric knitted with permanently crimped yarns. While the stretch characteristics of the fabric contribute to a closer conforming cover, an elastic band, such as one made from rubber yarn and having greater elasticity than the fabric, must be incorporated into the cover to restrain the cover from shifting position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,511 discloses woven stretchable fabrics that may be used for applications including upholstery material. The yarns used to make these fabrics are inherently non-stretchable, such as cotton or rayon. The fabric woven from these yarns can be made to exhibit stretch behavior by: i) suitably treating the fabric, as by a strong contracting and swelling agent and ii) treating the fabric, while in the contracted state, with a thermosetting or thermoplastic resins. The first step reduces the dimensions of the fabric in at least one direction, such that crimp is imparted to the yarns running parallel to that direction. The second step maintains the yarns in their crimped condition and thereby imparts some recoverability to the fabric to return it to an unstretched condition following any stretching. The complex manufacturing methods described appear to be primarily suited for producing fabrics with unidirectional stretch characteristics, and where such fabrics will stretch within the range of 15 to 50% in the direction parallel to the crimped yarns.
European Patent 0 853 1528 A1 discloses a process for preparing a fabric extensible in both the warp and the weft direction, for use as a seat cover. Fabrics are manufactured from synthetic yarns that have received a false twist texturing treatment rendering them extensible. Fabrics exhibiting extensibility on the order of 20% are disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,671,379 discloses bicomponent polyester fibers that exhibit significant stretch and recovery characteristics. Slipcovers are among the listed uses for fabrics containing such fibers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,701 to Zafiroglu discloses a mattress cover with a skirt having an elastic lower edge. U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,999 to Lee et al. discloses an automotive seat cover having heat-shrinkable lower edge panels.
None of the above-cited prior art discloses a slipcover that exhibits a fitted appearance emulating that achieved by custom re-upholstery.
The invention provides a stretch slipcover for a resilient cushion, the stretch slipcover having a top and sides comprising a first fabric having sufficient elastic recovery force that the stretch slipcover requires no second fabric having greater elasticity than the first fabric to maintain the substantial absence of surface wrinkles in normal use.
In a preferred embodiment, the stretch slipcover of the invention exerts an elastic recovery force that is sufficient to hold the stretch slipcover in place for normal use. The stretch slipcover of the invention may include a separate elastic band affixed to the perimeter of said stretch slipcover for gripping the resilient cushion, but such perimeter band is not required. In a preferred embodiment, the stretch slipcover of the invention includes no separate elastic or resilient band around the perimeter of the stretch slipcover.
In a second embodiment, the invention provides a stretch slipcover having a top panel and side panels comprising fabric having greater than 30% extension, at 15 lbs. applied load, in directions parallel and perpendicular to the warp direction and a minimum recovery force of 200 grams at 25% extension in directions parallel and perpendicular to the warp direction. The stretch slipcover requires no elastic band around the perimeter of said stretch slipcover having greater elasticity than said fabric. In a preferred embodiment, the stretch slipcover requires no resilient band around the perimeter of said stretch slipcover.
In a third embodiment, the invention provides a stretch slipcover set comprising:
a) a back cover having front and side portions for covering the back cushion of a chair; and
b) a seat cover comprising top and side portions for covering a chair seat;
wherein said covers comprise fabric having greater than 30% extension, at 15 lbs. applied load, in directions parallel and perpendicular to the warp direction and a minimum recovery force of 200 grams at 25% extension in directions parallel and perpendicular to the warp direction.